Valve holding off release for 64-bit technology?

[4Fingers]

I don't know if anyone has thought of this yet, but it recently dawned on me that this delay stuff started at the end of last year (After the hacking incident). Valve was targeting a holiday (Christmas) release, but then pushed the game to this summer.

The end of last year was when the AMD 64-bit processor came out.

The end of this year is also when the Pentium 5 (5 Ghz) 64-bit processor comes out.

DELAY DELAY DELAY DELAY DELAY

Could they be re-writing some of the code to take advantage of 64-bit technology??? Will it be summer 2005??? :O

 

[ailevation]

:afro: You could be right. But, I think they'll release a 32-bit version this year, then a 64-bit one later. This is what they're doing with FarCry. You can get the 32-bit version now, then upgrade when the 64-bit version is available.

 

[Mr-Fusion]

It'll all be done on steam. If you have 64-bit the appropriate updates will be delivered to you.

 

[Chris D]

This one has already been covered by Valve. They've stated that the Source engine, pretty much like Steam, will stay in continuous development and be updated and improved in-line with future technology. They will automatically release a patch through Steam once it detects you have a 64-bit processor.

 

[4Fingers]

Cool, thank you for that info. I was worried we were gonna get screwed out of playing HL2 this year also. :cheers: :cheers:

 

[Tadashi]

I mailed Rick Ellis:
64bit will lag the 32bit version, so he said.

100 percent clear now

 

[Jadewolf5675]

What improvements would you see with a 64 bit processor/version?

 

[ailevation]

:afro: 64-bit edition will offer more framerates, more detail in graphics;better. Basically what 64-bit computing has to offer?

 

[XenoSpirit]

:afro: 64-bit edition will offer more framerates, more detail in graphics;better. Basically what 64-bit computing has to offer?

what exactly is the "64bit" some ppl like me (are computer nerds) but still have no idea...

 

[ailevation]

:naughty: Ha, I don't even know either. I just know that it's going to make things faster and look better and better interactivity and blahzay...blahzay...blahzay...blah...

 

[Varsity]

64 bit adds 32 digits to the maximum number that a computer can computer in one cycle. It means calculation-heavy programs have one less bottleneck to fight through.

Straying slightly off topic, but I would like to see some opinions on the idea that HL2 was held back at least partly becuse Steam couldn't hope to provide it in it's current state.

 

[PvtRyan]

Also it adds more precision to equations with floating point operations (not really an issue in gaming) and it can address a lot more memory (if you have a 64-bit OS) because 32-bit can only address 4 GB of memory, 64-bit can address 16,77 million TB.

 

[Dougy]

cant wait to see the p4 3.6 gig prices drop like a bomb when the p5's come out.


just think this time next year a 4 gig processor will be a £100 :naughty:

*hopefully*

 

[Element Alpha]

I would rather have guessed it was linked to the next gen video cards coming out soon(instead of blaming 64 bit CPU's for the delay)

to those who don't know what 32 bit vs 64 bit means:

One 'bit' is either a 0 or a 1 (imagine a 'bit' as a seat on a bus with either a little guy named 'the zero' or a guy named 'the one' sitting in it), so 32 bit can send 32 1's and 0's at the same time, like in a 32 seat bus, while 64 bit can send - hold your breath - 64 1's and 0's at the same time, like in a - yes you've guessed it - 64 seat bus. So the time to travell is reduced, since 64 seats are available for every roundtrip.

Did that make sense to you?

*I suddenly feel an urge to take the bus I don't know why.*

 

[Varsity]

HL2 can run on a TNT2, and a FX 5900 can comfortably take it all the way up to highest details until things start getting really busy. Makes no sense. :/

 

[Dr. Freeman]

I would rather have guessed it was linked to the next gen video cards coming out soon(instead of blaming 64 bit CPU's for the delay)

to those who don't know what 32 bit vs 64 bit means:

One 'bit' is either a 0 or a 1 (imagine a 'bit' as a seat on a bus with either a little guy named 'the zero' or a guy named 'the one' sitting in it), so 32 bit can send 32 1's and 0's at the same time, like in a 32 seat bus, while 64 bit can send - hold your breath - 64 1's and 0's at the same time, like in a - yes you've guessed it - 64 seat bus. So the time to travell is reduced, since 64 seats are available for every roundtrip.

Did that make sense to you?

*I suddenly feel an urge to take the bus I don't know why.*

haha nice explanation

/me looks around for teh bus

wheres teh bus!!!

 

[Rupertvdb]

i feel like crying, i just want to get a computer when i get home that shall stay current long enough to play new games for a few years, why do they do this to me?

 

[Varsity]

32 bit will be fine for everything for at least the next several years.

 

[Keeson]

I don't think Valve is holding off for 64 bit technology.

No, rather Valve's problem is that they have too many big ideas and they get carried away.

They started out as a bunch of the best modellers/level designers/coders culled out of the Quake mod community - a team lovingly assembled by Gabe Newell and Mike Harrington.

They had a naive passion that created HL1 back when Valve was the old Valve software and the game was king.

But they lost their focus along the way...

I hope the 40 million dollars (and counting) is going to be worth it Gabe.


To all the people out there that want to start a game company:

DO' s

Keep it simple!!!

Stay focused on your game!!!

Do it for a love of creating interactive entertainment, and pour all of your creative energy into that.

Drink lots of cola, work 18 hour days and sleep on a cot in your office. Ignore personal hygiene - people will quickly grow to love your Albert Einstein haircut. The game will be much better for it.


DON'T s

Do not create a crazy content delivery system, wasting valuable resources/coder time/testing that could otherwise been put into your bread and butter product. Orwellian, "big brother is watching you" systems typically fail because people just don't like them.

Do not suck up to CNN looking to promote your game to a "mainstream" audience. That usually means that your game is a piece of fluff and will turn out like the movie Matrix Revolutions, selling a million copies the first week of release cause of hype then quickly dying off as people spread the word that it totally "blows"!

But above all else do not hire anyone named Lombardi


:dork: Wow, I guess that was a bit off topic :rolling:

 

[Varsity]

I love how many people try to tell Valve how to do their jobs.

 

[Mr. Redundant]

and I love how some people do it in a sarcastic playful way that make me laugh my ass off, and how others dont pick up on it

 

[Varsity]

and I love how some people do it in a sarcastic playful way that make me laugh my ass off, and how others dont pick up on it

To make it worse, those are do's and don'ts for people wanting to start their own game company, not Valve.

 

[HomelessDroid]

The reason why the source engine will work on a older machine is because the graphics and all dynamics is because the engine is dynamic itself its not all done through steam and that.
It senses what the capabillities and has floating values for your PC.